Why Believe in Jesus

All references in John's gospel on why people believe
Taken from here:

* John the Baptist "came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him" (1:7)
* Jesus revealed God (1:18)
* Jesus is revealed because of John's baptism of people (1:31) and by the Spirit descending and remaining on him (1:33)
* Nathanael believed because Jesus said "I saw you under the fig tree" (1:50)
* Disciples believed because of the miracle at Cana (2:11)
* When Jesus was risen they believed "the Scripture AND the word that Jesus had spoken" (2:22)
* Many believed in Jesus when they saw his miracles (2:23)
* He who believes Jesus agrees God is true (3:33)
* Samaritans believed because of the testimony of the Samaritan woman at the well that he knew her past (4:39)
* Then the Samaritans believed because they heard Jesus for themselves (4:41-42)
* Jesus criticises the official at Capernaum for only believing if he sees a sign (4:48), but then believes his word alone (4:50) and then believes again when he sees evidence of the miracle (4:53)
* the person who believes Jesus' word and the Father's testimony has eternal life (5:24)
* John the Baptist is a testimony to Jesus (5:32). But he relativises that as man's testimony, which he appeals to only so people will be saved (5:34). A greater testimony comes from the Father who testifies to who Jesus is by the miracles he gave to Jesus (5:36) and the OT (5:39). To have the Father's word abiding in you means you will believe Jesus (5:38)
* You can't believe if you seek glory from men rather than God (5:44)
* Believing Moses and believing Jesus are inseparable (5:46-47)
* Jesus implies he is his own miracle proving his identity. He is the equivalent of both the manna and Moses. Believing he is the food and eating of him proves he is the food by satisfying. (6:30-40)
* Peter says that they believed and so came to know that Jesus was the Holy One of God (6:69)
* If anyone wishes to obey God then he will know Jesus is from God (7:17)
* People believe Jesus because of the number of miracles he performs (7:31)
* Jesus says that there are two testimonies to who he is. The Father and himself. If you know Jesus you will know the Father (8:14-19)
* People will know who Jesus is when he is crucified (8:28)
* People believe in Jesus because of his teaching (8:30) but Jesus says that they will only "know the truth" if they "abide" in his word (8:31)
* The Jews ought to believe because he tells the truth (8:46), but actually they don't believe exactly because he tells them the truth (8:45)
* The healed blind man is astonished that the miracle of his healing is not sufficient proof for the Pharisees because God only hears his worshippers (9:30).
* People listen to Jesus because as his flock they know him as their good shepherd (10:4-27).
* The works of the Father that Jesus does bear witness to him (10:25), and people don't believe them because they are not part of his flock (10:26). He encourages them to believe on account of either his words or the miracles (10:38).
* People believe John the Baptist's testimony about Jesus, despite John the Baptist performing no miracles (10:41-42)
* If Martha believes Jesus promises her she will see the glory of God (11:40).
* Jesus prays aloud for the raising of Lazarus so that people will believe in him (11:42).
* Many people believe because of Lazarus (12:10-11)
* Some people don't believe despite seeing the miracles (12:37)
* People don't believe because God has blinded them (12:4)
* Belief in Jesus, is primarily belief in the Father (12:44)
* Jesus predicts Judas' betrayal so that when it happens the disciples will believe in him (13:19)
* People will know Jesus' disciples are his disciples by their love for one another (13:35)
* Jesus asks the disciples to believe him, or believe on account of the miracles (14:11)
* Jesus will make himself to his disciples and not the whole world by sending the Spirit for the Trinity to live in the person who loves Jesus and keeps his word (14:23)
* Jesus predicts his ascension and the sending of the Spirit so that when it happens the disciples will believe (14:29)
* Jesus obeys the Father (by dying?) so that the world will know that he loves the Father (14:31).
* The disciples claim to believe Jesus on the basis of his non-figurative teaching (16:29-30), despite Jesus saying the his teaching is figurative at that time (16:25), although it won't be when he sends the Spirit. Jesus doubts that they really believe already though (16:31).
* The disciples came to know that Jesus is of the Father because of his words (17:6-8)
* People will come to believe through the Apostles speech and by their unity (17:20-21).
* John claims that he has seen the events and knows they are true so his readers should believe on his testimony (19:35).
* Thomas doesn't believe on the testimony of the other disciples (20:25), but believes when he sees the risen Christ (20:28). However, Jesus implies that he should have believed on the disciples' testimony alone, and that others who believe without seeing are blessed (20:29).
* John explains that he recounts the miracles of Jesus so that his readers may believe (20:31).

Some reflections:

* Belief in the Father and the OT is inseparable from belief in Jesus.
* The testimony of John and the Samaritan woman is of secondary importance to the testimony of Jesus to himself and the testimony of the Father in miracles and the OT. But it is valid.
* Belief, obedience and humble searching after God are inseparable.
* Believing is only the beginning. In some cases knowledge of Jesus as the Holy One of God, and seeing the glory of God comes later. Also belief on the basis of testimony of other men, or of miracles, can grow into belief on the basis of Jesus' own words.
* It is implied that people can only fully know who Jesus is after his death and resurrection and the sending of the Spirit.
* Belief in Jesus is not an end in itself but should lead to belief in the Father.
* Belief is dependant on supernatural work of opening blind eyes, and only belongs to the elect.
* The disciples loving unity and spoken testimony is how people are expected to believe after Jesus has ascended.

Dreams

So.. some rough thoughts on why we dream.

If sleep = death

and waking up = resurrection

Then what of those people who die now, but Christ has yet to return? Where do they go?

Like Jesus on the cross says... this day you will be with me in paradise.

But is paradise the finished new creation, new kingdom, new temple Jerusalem?

Dreams are fragments and mostly incoherent.. but they could be reflective of that pre new-creation paradise; or, it could be reflective of that pre new-creation Sheol.

So just as we have nightmares, which represent the deep where the non-Christians are thrown into before they are resurrected just to die a second death; so also we have joyous dreams which represent the paradise where His sons and daughters go to before being resurrected to experience a new, physical and more real new creation paradise. dreams are but the in-between... before the new kingdom is created.

Further thoughts?

The Glory of God

Glen's done a great series on what God's glory means

here.

Here's a question....

I wonder what imagery you have in mind when you think of this verse:

"All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"

If God's glory is some kind of personal transcendence - how on earth would this verse make sense - it pictures someone working to become a shining deity?
so then your definition of sin is what? not being splendorous enough?

as opposed to being utterly loving and other-centered, like Jesus..

Re-Learning then Growing

Being born again is an interesting concept even in practical life..
(understatement of the year)

anyway..

Think of it this way
we start off as infants - that's the state of Adam's 'innocence'
then it goes wrong - they listen to the wrong father, the father of lies
so they grow up according to the lie - to have hardness of heart

lets take a few examples:
1. food
- Food becomes an idol (cf Phil 3:19)
- life becomes a pursuit of the next meal - either for quality or quantity
- we live to eat
- it is a meaningless pursuit, since it can never be satisfied - and ultimately results in death
- the cost is that we now take the resources meant for supplying others with bread to supply ourselves - it also causes the death of others (cf. James 5)

2. sex
- Sex becomes an idol (everywhere)
- people become objects instead of persons
- they are used for our own pleasure
- that pleasure never satisfies - so we have 5 husbands, then we just end up sleeping around and indulging various perversions (cf John 4)
- sex costs in terms of ripping out the very life of other humans (cf 1 Cor 6)

So then..

Being born-again
We are once again infants
but now are pointed through the Spirit to the Word of our Father
we now grow up again - but differently
so the way we relate as children is different, but also the way we relate as mature is also different
taking the examples again:

1. food
- we learn that food is meant for sustenance
- we learn that food is meant for joy
- we learn that food is meant to enhance fellowship
- we now learn that fellowship=joy=true strength

as we grow up -
we learn that fellowship is the real food
and so we then substitute 'fake food' for 'True Bread'
we learn to fast - since what we want is the true food
we learn to give up for the sake of others - since we want the true fellowship
- in this we find true strength

2. sex
- we learn that sex is meant to enhance covenant relationship
- we learn that sex is meant to produce godly fruit
- we learn that people are precious and meant to be enjoyed by intimate relationships
- we now learn sex=true intimacy in covenant relationship

as we grow up-
we begin to no longer desire so much the temporary relationships (till death do us part)
- but long for the eternal marriage (so much so that some give it up in a way - cf 1 Cor 7:29)
- and so as single people or widowers or even married couples - we try to have real intimacy by spending much more time with our true Bridegroom


If this is true, then we have to re-learn everything from scratch again as we follow Jesus, but then not stay that way, and to grow up from our fleshly 'training wheels' into what is the new way of physical life by the Spirit

It also has many implications on pastoral thinking in different issues... as well as discerning people

Sovereignty of God (2)

Further attempts to go a little deeper into God's Sovereignty:

So then...

Here's a question, can one go against the will of God?

See.. both yes and no answers have problems
if yes - you imply God is not sovereign
if no - you imply there is no 'free will' (at least at some level)
therefore current theologians want to insist that there is tension between the 2

tension cannot be the state of the living God - He is definitely not tense
the theologians are

anyway,
let's review it with Christ in mind

the Sovereign Will of God has to be Christ-centered and Christ-focused
therefore what is the will of God?
let's take a few:
1. To glorify Christ
- this is done through Christ's obedience

2. To perfect Christ (cf Heb)
- this is done through Christ's obedience

3. To save the world - so that Christ will have a bride
- this is done through Christ's obedience

So then - the will of God is for the sake of Christ ALONE in the major sense
and accomplished through Christ ALONE
what else would you expect?

So what does that mean?

If I say I can reject or cannot reject the will of God - I take Christ out of the picture - in some sense it is a meaningless question, with no correct answer found in Scripture
there is no will of God for me ALONE

Since the will of God is only for Christ through Christ
so can I thwart those 3 points above? no.. of course not - Christ has been obedient
can I not reject the will of God? - again a bit meaningless here.. it's not really about you

Yet when I join into Christ - the will of God is fulfilled:
1. glorify Christ - yes you glorify Christ by trusting Christ
2. perfecting Christ - yes you now are making up the new body of Christ through death
3. saving the world - yes you are saved and are now His bride

let's take it down to me personally :
In Christ - His will for ME is :
1. to conform me into the image of His likeness - which glorifies me (cf John 17), perfects me, and saves me (past, present and future tense)
2. this was foreknown - God ordained it from before the beginning of the world
3. this was predestined - God carried it out - through His Son (note here that predestination only makes sense when the Father trusts His Son)

When I am not doing things in Christ, that is against the Spirit
then I am 'outside' His will for Christ - i.e. I am in the 'curses' zone (cf Abraham)

I am not 'against' His will either - because again:
- He predestined those outside of Christ to go to the place of judgment
- He will still glorify, perfect and have a bride for Christ
- It's just it will be done without me included in the blessings, but in the curses for the same purposes

so the Christological question is not whether I can defy the will of God
but rather whether I am in Christ, so am I part of His will in Christ, done by Christ and present-continuously, am being part of His will - so I pray "let thy will be done" or "not my will, but your will"

then there really is no tension
God, and those in Christ, can relax....

Donkeys

Genesis 16:12 12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen." (Ishmael)

Jeremiah 2:24 24 a wild donkey used to the wilderness, in her heat sniffing the wind! Who can restrain her lust? None who seek her need weary themselves; in her month they will find her. (Israel)

Hosea 8:9 9 For they have gone up to Assyria, a wild donkey wandering alone; Ephraim has hired lovers.

Genesis 49:14-15 14 "Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. 15 He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor. (blessings from Jacob)

Zechariah 9:9 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.


Jesus tames the wild donkey lusting after everything, living alone...
She was chained up by the law, restraining the lust - but still rebellious
Untied by the Master, she willingly bears this Burden
She carries Him to the cross....

Attempts to destroy secular philosophy

the only philosophy is Christ..

so one by one... my hope is to destroy all the non-Christological philosophy that is within my thinking...

here's a few out of Reeves talk on Aquinas

God is First Cause or the Unmoved Mover
- Rather God is the Father of Christ - He is the perpetual cause, not the static Origin... He always Causes (or begets) Christ
-then He is always moved by His Son, and vice versa, the Son always marvels at the Father
- He is the affectionate and affected God... and has always been - so He is unchanging
why? because WE, sinful human beings are the unaffected - it is US who HARDEN our HEARTS... that is the Satanic life...

Sovereignty of God

Can we come to a more Christological understanding of the sovereignty of God?

very often our view is more tyrannical - basically Satan's idea of the god that has to dictate otherwise he's not really in control
Yet Jesus view on the Sovereignty of God - is therefore you should pray more

If anyone ever writes about God as Sovereign
he is already on the wrong track if he does not start with "God is Father"
for in our understanding of how God foreknows, ordains, predestines, guides, provides, etc... must be because He is our Father

God is our Father, therefore He knows what we are going to do
He knows what is good for us and will plan - intimately so (not just from a distance)
what is good for His children - only doing things (whether pleasant or painful) for the good of His children

How do we know? we look at Jesus
We see His trust in His Father, we see His example of how His Father deals with Him, foreknowing and telling Him what He would do, enabling Him to do it, encouraging Him to trust Him by praying to Him and reading His Word, predestining where He will go if He remains in Him, etc...

In that sense I wonder if this doctrine is not "too" hard to think about?
it's only when we get quite philosophical (usually implying non-relational and abstract) that it is very hard to see

God is my Father, so I trust in Him
He knew me before I was born - in Christ
He knows me now, through and through - in Christ
He knows and is ordaining what will happen to me - in Christ
He knows what will happen to me if I am against Christ
He even goes out of His way to plan things that will happen to me when I was 'spiritually out' of Christ - so that I may come to Christ - through Christ and those who are in Christ, and through the creation and running of the world - which is in Christ

And obviously... all this through His Spirit whom He sends

Ascension Day - Yet Again

Ascension Day is here again...

so who says that easy to understand 3 point sermons done at a comfortable rate will be the most impactful..

this is me cramming 60-90 min of material in 24 min making hardly any explanation for anything =)

The Ascension of Christ

MP3 File

>100 direct downloads and counting over the last 3 years

more ascension resources at Glen's site - here

Mark 10

The 2nd part of blind-spots of discipleship - based on the 3rd and final time Jesus explains what it means to be the Son of Man.

PA crew were new, so first 5-7 min is missing - text here:

Well we’re looking at part 2 of the blind spots of discipleship this week. I know it’s possibly ever so slightly difficult to remember a two-part sermon series when they are almost 2 months apart. But let me do my best to remind you.

We were essentially asking what does it mean to be a disciple of Christ,– trying to make further sense of Jesus’ statement earlier on in Mark chapter 8:
Mark 8:34 Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

So the last time I was here, we were looking at the 3 statements where Jesus describes what He came to do. (PowerPoint – 3statements). The plain and open statements of Jesus to His close disciples on what it means to be Him, Jesus, the Son of Man – and by extension, what does it mean to be His follower, His disciple. So we remember Him saying:

Mark 9:31 For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."

And so what happened next? Well, Jesus just told them about His suffering and fate, and just like the first time, their response is a desire of personal greatness and glory:

Mark 9:34 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. (NKJV)

We remember - the disciples were debating on who was the best amongst them, the privileged few that were allowed to follow Jesus so closely. Jesus’ response to them, was that the disciple of Christ, requires humility, literally as we mentioned – it is to become bent over. It means you will become someone who is totally dependent on His Heavenly Father, and not to make the same mistake of Adam, and of Israel who’s desire was to become independent, become Gods even, they became blind in the sense that they no longer recognized that all the power, and good gifts, and talents that they had, had been given to them by God to be used God’s purposes, so that His glory could be shown to others – that they also may come to Him. Jesus used the words “faithless and perverse”, using these resources for their own vain-glory.
So now in Chapter 10, It seems that in the short time since the last incident, not much has been learnt at all. Jesus yet again states in more detail who He is – please follow with me in your Bibles:

Mark 10:32-34 32 Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: 33 "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; 34 "and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again."

Again, Jesus has just told them about the way of the cross, the way of humility and humiliation, the way of suffering at the hands of others. So what happens next?

Mark 10:35-37 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask." 36 And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" 37 They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."

One preacher remarked that this must be the worst prayer in all human history “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask”. A prayer of complete self-centeredness and having no regard for anything that Jesus has said, imagine how he felt - It’s even worse this time, since it is the 3rd time He’s saying it and because this time, Jesus has started to make His way towards Jerusalem. He is now definitively setting off on the events that will lead Him to His being mocked scourged and spat upon, and ultimately death.

Sadly however, this type of prayer has been repeated countless times ever since, by myself included, and many a time, this is the manner in which we pray in our petition to the Living God, our Cosmic ATM machine – that will provide us with whatever we want for our own goals and ambitions in this life, and even in the next, regardless of anything He says about Himself.

The situation gets even worse in Matthew’s gospel, in that one, James and John have gotten their dearest mother to ask Jesus for them. Note the amazing irony, they’ve basically asked to be co-rulers of the universe, and they need mummy go do their dirty work. Mark does not bother with the nuances in Matthew, and cuts to the chase – this is their desire, no matter who has done the asking. They want to be co-regents with Christ when He sits on His glorious throne. Jesus – we want you to grant us power, glory, security and comfort.

remaining audio here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?mnmjygyfyhn

Peter

Luke 5:4-9 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 5 And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,

John 21:6-7 6 He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.

What's the difference?

Peter on one hand assumes himself to be sinful and when Jesus comes, asks Him to go away

Peter on the other hand KNOWS himself to be sinful very very well (he's just betrayed Jesus) - and now runs to Him

the difference is now he knows Jesus, and really knows himself, and yet knows himself in relation to knowing Jesus

why do we have such difficult times praying, meditating on God's Word, serving Him - because we don't really know Him... so we run away to other things

Peter in the course of his life (John 6) came to a point where there was nowhere else to run to... but yet not quite yet running to Jesus

but Jesus longs for us to come to a point where we run to Him, knowing He knows all about us, and is here to save us


We move from loving ourselves (being in the world).... to despairing in the light of the law (the shadow of Christ).... to being lost from leaving the world (entering the wilderness).... to being found in Christ (being embraced by His light)

Wheat & Tares

This may be old to some of you...

but it always used to confuse me about the 2 'seed' parables in Matthew 13
how can on one hand the seed be sown onto good soil,
then on another hand there is a 2nd sowing of seed by the enemy

if you see no continuity between the allegories of the parables - this is no problem to you... you impoverished soul you...

but if the imagery is all the same then perhaps some may say this is some form of weird election thing...

but actually Jesus is talking about 2 different things

the first parable - is about "hearing the word of the kingdom"
the second parable - is about "what is the kingdom of heaven like"

thus the good seed are those growing up in the kingdom of heaven, the seed that fell on the good soil, that now produce good fruit, with good seed

and within the kingdom (church), the enemy will take the failed seed from the first, which are now wicked seed, and sow within the church - such that the tares, or anti-christs, will now choke the wheat, or 'christs' (you know what i mean)

?

One good thing about Post-Modernity

I'm quite glad that in Asia Post-Modernity is not really something that has innundated churches

since most Asians are far too 'pragmatic' to bother about being post-modern
i think we're still one philosophical age behind.... and we still are very much modern in thinking although hybridised with a weird sense of everything put together

anyway,
there is one good thing that has come out of the relativistic post-modern age

and that is relativism

theology and religion for too long has been taught as an imaginary absolute,
possibly coming from the strange form of transcendancy of God that makes Him semi-integrated with the universe - i.e. coming up with weird notions like natural law (and if I may be bold - later on an inherent moral law)

i.e. a law inbuilt into the system - much more what I think a philosophical kind of universal governance rather than a Sovereign Father
(pS: read this incredible post on the necessity for the abolition of the non-Christ centered 'eternal decrees')

Post-Modernity has made us think that all standards and truths are based on points of view

And so that is the Truth... there is no universal standard of morality, no generic spirituality, no common sense or intellegence...
there is only the Father, Son & Spirit

Truth is Christ, and if you know Him, you know Truth
Good is the Father, and if you are like Him, you are good
Spirituality is the communion with the Spirit, if you have it, you are spiritual

everything IS relative - so WHO are you related to is the most important question in the universe....

Son of Perdition

2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

The phrase "Man of lawlessness" is actually "son of perdition" in KJV
same phrase Jesus supposedly uses of Judas in John 17:12

suggesting an a-millennial view - cf the Revelation paper i wrote

then the coming of the 2nd advent is much like the Cross
where the forces of darkness gain strength
there is a 'handing over hour'
there is much confusion - not sure about the false miracles - but i'm sure that's somehow connected to Exodus plagues linking up to the cross

Judas then is the lawless man that is the 'antiChrist' (cf 1 John 2's definition of antichrist - people from within the church) who is revealed at the appointed time

so continuing with the Revelation theology - what then is Judas? it must be Mammon within the church - the Prostitute will be revealed on the last day... how will it be exposed?

maybe: Luke 2:35 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

the Sword now from the Lord's mouth that will open up the hearts to find Satan within - possessing them just like he did Judas

or something like that...

How to have constant Joy

From here:

God knows that complaining is an expression of our pride, and not only pride in general, but more specifically, arrogance against God Himself. Think with me. We Christians believe that God is sovereign: i.e., that in some way He controls our lives. Therefore, since we believe He either causes or allows everything that happens in our lives, complaining about what happens is an expression of our doubting His wisdom.

Puritan Thomas Watson, in a sermon on contentment preached in 1653, said, “Murmuring is no better than mutiny in the heart; it is a rising up against God. . . . The murmurer chargeth God with folly. This is the language, or rather blasphemy of a murmuring spirit: ‘God might have been a wiser and better God’ . . . Our murmuring is the devil's music.”

Do you see the subtle rebellion against God that Watson describes? Complaining is nothing less than demanding from God an explanation that suits our convenience and comfort. It is calling God to account for my expectations of how I think He ought to be and what I think He ought to do. St. Paul hinted at the danger of such an attitude when he wrote, “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?” (Romans 9:20).

A century before Watson, John Calvin wrote, “As soon as God does not send what we have desired, we dispute against Him . . . but from what spirit is this pronounced? From a poisoned heart, as if we said, ‘The thing should have been otherwise.’ . . . It is as if we accused God of being a tyrant or a harebrain.”

Complaining is sin because it disputes the goodness of God and thus maligns His character.

St. Paul wrote, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).You will be a more joyful Christian if you learn the secret of being free from complaining. “Rejoice in the Lord always! Again, I will say it: rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

What is Spirituality

Here is my current definition:

It is to open your heart completely to another...
and another, and another and another

such that 2 hearts are utterly joined to one another

therefore it is those who open their hearts utterly to God's open and poured out (Spirit-ed) heart, who can be called spiritual and are the best people to deal with 'sinners' (cf Gal 6:1) - who are the best people who have had their planks removed to handle the specks in others

Rich Young Ruler

A sermon by our senior pastor:

http://zionbpc.org.sg/resources/audio/2010/180410%20Ps%20David%20Wong.wma

what i was fascinated by is how unbiased he is on either side - about giving up all and indeed inheriting all...even in this life

what do you think?

Talk about Genesis!

Rich Owen (cf Glen's blog)does an incredible one...

i advise you to play this sentence by sentence - especially the first 8 minutes!

Listen now, and again and again and again...

Spirituality

Quote by Prof James Houston, Regents College:

"Christian spirituality is Christian 'individuals' becoming persons in Christ"

"individualism to personalism"

"no longer the lonely 'I' but the glorious 'We'"

"I am never more myself when I am most in Christ"

"He gives us a form of hypostasis"

"The true theologians were great saints"

"The true test of theology was the life of sainthood"

"To pray and to do theology are the same thing"

Come to me, then Go to the world

A fantastic heart-warmer from Mr Blackham Senior....
my favourite living Christian...

"I come to Jesus by believing what He says is true..."



http://www.farmfellowship.com/wp/?p=828

Bribery & Corruption

There's a new book in Asia by the Methodist Bishop of Malaysia..

Bribery & Corruption in the Marketplace

in Asia, where corruption is 'unhidden' - as compared to the West where it is all dressed up and nice - what does a Christian in the workplace do?

2 things he says to avoid:
1. withdrawing from the world
2. dualism of church vs marketplace

he proposes an incarnational ministry - where we identify with the world, remain in the world, be distinct from the world for the sake of transforming the world

he distinguishes between active corruption - which every Christian must avoid
and passive acceptance of corruption - where we must try to avoid

using examples like Jesus/John did not ask tax collectors and soldiers to resign but rather act differently

any views on this ?


my thoughts are this:
1. what or WHO are you working for - i.e. what is the purpose of your work
2. what do others see when they see you at work?
- someone like everyone else?
- a good person?
- Christ in you
the 3rd option is the goal... and is far harder than merely being 'hardworking and moral'...

The Basics (2)

An attempt at summarizing 'salvation' in 1 hr

http://www.mediafire.com/?zn5oyndymma

More Hebrew

The word for compassion comes from the root word which means womb

there is another word for womb that is like belly
but sometimes this word which can also be translated mercy is used

so what is the relation between compassion and womb?

for example:

here - Genesis 30:22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.

and here - Genesis 29:31 When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

is the word for compassion/womb

but here - Genesis 25:24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb.

and here - Genesis 30:2 Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"

is the word for belly/womb

John - any help?

The Resurrection

Brittain keeps going:

http://www.farmfellowship.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/rff100404.mp3

"the first positive earthquake in history.... "
the only one that people were made alive instead of killed!!

Blogging Through Exodus

If you haven't read this series of meditations...

here is a compilation PDF:

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0ByH-45su4eeRYzk3MzQxMWQtZjcxZC00ZmVkLWFjZDMtMjk4OGQ5ZGU4NDlh&hl=en

Ask Seek and Knock

Michael Brittain has now become one of my favorite preachers of all time..

he's only got 2 sermons on the web...
but they are some of the warmest, richest, most encouraging, yet challenging and insightful things i have ever heard...

listen to this one on Matt 7:
http://www.farmfellowship.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/matthews02e07.mp3

pls petition farm fellowship to have him record many more!

The Basics

Catechism class recording on 'the cross'

http://www.mediafire.com/?13nmnttmmwj

Angel vs Devil

John 6:70 70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil."

Angel - means messenger of God - i.e. one who like the Sent One, communicates everything who the Father is and what He says to others

Devil - means slanderer - one who warps the nature of God to others, that he may be worshipped

check out this attempt on the 'Slander of Judas':
http://www.goingtojesus.com/topic_satan.html?tname=tfe02-16

- click on "Judas the Slanderer" parts 3-6

Adam the failed priest-gardener

check out this post:

http://greenbaggins.wordpress.com/2006/03/13/adam-the-priest-of-the-garden-temple-2/

except for that little comment about the covenant of works =)

The generated soul

Dichotomy - soul/spirit plus body ( 1 cor 7:34, James 2:26, etc)

or

Trichotomy - spirit plus soul plus body (1 Thess 5:23)


what about:

Input = spirit / breathed-in / wind / inner being

Output = flesh / body / members / outer being

Input animates output: James 2:26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Spirit always controls flesh

but how about interaction between spirit & flesh = soul/heart/mind/neck

a Living and Holy spirit - generates an eternal and holy being

the original spirit blown into Adam then - is the Holy Spirit
but like in Stephen's speech - Adam rejected this Spirit
and listened instead to other spirits

the interaction between the flesh and spirit then produces Adam's character - a sinful puppet - controlled by an external spirit

salvation then comes with a 'renewed Spirit' - which unlocks the decayed and hardened deadwood, and allows the life-blood to now flow in and animate the flesh and release it from its puppet-life

the man is now a new man - a real man, animated flesh in submissive listening to the Counsellor

this then renews the soul - creates a new life

one that will continuously be renewed for all eternity - become a 'personality' identical to that of Christ

no wonder the necessity to separate soul from spirit and even flesh from bone by the Word of God (cf Heb 4)

still fiddling with this... let me know your thoughts

Playing on the heart-strings

Ever heard this?



I used to love the song

but actually here's an interesting point..
what Satan does in both the garden of Eden & the wilderness which Christ entered
is he's playing on the affections of the Man

He knows the Man loves the woman...
his temptations are to corrupt the woman, and via the woman, control the Man

He knows the woman is the 'weaker vessel' and easy to become a 'vessel of corruption'

but his goal is the Head-Man
and he will play on His affections for His helper-opposite
He sings to Man a twisted love song for the woman...

Christ then has to judge between His love for His Father and His love for His Bride
Satan makes it seem that there must be a choice - He can only love one, and it seems that He must lose or 'leave' the other

Christ's love for His bride then must be monumentally strong if this is even a real temptation - even after seeing 'the heart of men' for a number of decades
At Gethsemane - He longs for their to be another way... not for an opt-out clause... He really must have His Bride

Yet the Spirit continuously reminds Him that He will get His Bride if He listens to His Father - His Father also longs for them to come into a heavenly home that He has ordained and prepared for them both

The vocal chords of Satan are cut at the cross, and his fiddle goes silent... right now all he plays is some horrendous heavy-metal sounds by smashing the remainder of his wrecked stage - making lots of noise to those who think that sounds like 'music'

The harmony of the orchestra of God is continuously enriched with more and more musical instruments as each 'living stone' is added to the eternal symphony, supported by angelic back up...

Church Dogmatics by Karl Barth for < $100

For those interested....

http://blogs.christianbook.com/blogs/academic/2010/03/19/karl-barths-church-dogmatics-14-vols-ed-bromiley-torrance/

The Lord will be Seen

Genesis 22:14 wayyiqrä´ ´abrähäm šë|m-hammäqôm hahû´ yhwh(´ädönäy) yir´è ´ášer yë´ämër hayyôm Bühar yhwh(´ädönäy) yërä´è

Literally - Abraham called the name of that place, "The Lord will see"; that they might say to-day, On the mount the Lord will be seen

what do you think?

Repentance requires atonement

The whole idea of repentance very often trickles into a works-based mindset

'Father forgive me, i've done something wrong'
'Go my son and don't do it again'

and i keep doing this each time i have sinned, to pay my own price for the wrong

but actually this form of repentance could only work on a completely UNJUST God.. who does not care two-bits about anything

"Dad I'm sorry I stabbed my brother" - "No problem son, don't do it again"

It is completely heartless...

The true repentance coupled with faith is based on the fact that the wrongdoing is already paid for in full at the cross.

That the guilt of the sin is paid for already, and repentance/faith is a pleading for the healing blood to cover and to wash away the source of sin

'Father forgive me, i've done something wrong'
'Son, here is your Brother's body and His blood, paid in advance for your wrongdoing, eat and drink and be healed'

Blind Spots of Discipleship - Part 1

A sermon given last Sunday - on Mark 9:30-50:

http://zionbpc.org.sg/resources/audio/2010/140310%20Dr%20Dev%20Menon.wma

meanwhile - just led a team of 6 young adults to Kolkata for a mission trip
great work being done here:
SAMARITANS HELPS of INDIA
(you won't find anything about them on the internet - but here's one article:
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/articles/learning_from_children/)

they need plenty of support - especially with people willing to actually go there

i got plenty out of it
including what i suspect is viral meningitis from the 10,000 mosquito bites

Swallowing

Death is portrayed as a hungry monster... always wanting to swallow up or consume the Living

Numbers 16:34 34 And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up!"


Jonah and the fish are an appropriate picture - death swallows up the One who gives up His Spirit - yet death cannot hold Him

but in this case.. if the story of Jonah were to continue like that...

Jonah now would sit down and eat the entire fish for breakfast:
Isaiah 25:8 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.

or perhaps
from inside the fish... Jonah would begin to eat it whole.... ?

something like this:

Wisdom

Leithart on the wisdom books:

What is wisdom? Follow the canonical progression of wisdom books.

Proverbs: There are two women. Choose Lady Wisdom and reject Lady Folly.

Ecclesiastes: All is hebel. Death looms. Therefore, eat, drink, rejoice in the wife of your youth. Joy in your wife is the way to Lady Wisdom.

Song of Songs: A man rejoices in his bride, eating and drinking a feast of love.

So:

Wisdom is about sex: Proverbs says, Choose the right woman; Ecclesiastes says, Cling to her in defiance of decay; the Song says, Love brings you back to the garden.

Or: Fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom. Joy in defiance of death is wisdom coming to maturity. Fulfilled wisdom is knowing that love is as strong as death.

Or: Proverbs is priestly wisdom, distinguishing wisdom and folly. Ecclesiastes is kingly wisdom, rendering judgments in the midst of darkness. The Song is prophetic wisdom, the hope of future harmony.

Or: Proverbs is past; Ecclesiastes is present; the Song is future.

Or: Proverbs is the Father; Ecclesiastes the Son; the Song is the Song of the Spirit.

Wife verses Mother

Genesis 24:67 67 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

The mother of Christ dies... and now Christ is comforted by His Bride - in His mother's tent... all made into a new family home

Bible

A rather dull talk by me on the Bible

http://www.mediafire.com/?dak1jno0z2j

for catechism class

Daniel in the Lion's Den

Mark 1:12-13 12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

See to it Yourself

Matthew 27:3-5 3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.

The legalistic view of the law, embodied here by the Pharisees, can never deliver

it can convict one of sin - cf. Rom 7
and then when one comes to it as a sinner
it replies: "So what? You deal with it"

and that's exactly what Judas does - he deals with it himself

this is all the morality and legality of the world can do (the Christless view of God's shadows)
it leads to self-death

Exodus 5

Glen's blogging through Exodus for lent - here's Exodus 5:

And so Moses and Aaron, fearing the weakening of the modern family, the slow but steady erosion of Israelite values in public life and their worsening working conditions decided to do the only thing upstanding, God-fearing folk can do – they formed a political pressure group. They called it CHANGE: Campaigning Hebrews for A Nicer Gentler Egypt.

They got the best legal advice, produced petitions by the armful and exploited every political contact they knew. In time they broadened their support base and went ‘co-belligerent’ with several other non-Israelite lobbies. Out of this was birthed the Campaigning Religious Interest-groups for a Nicer Gentler Egypt.

Some claimed that this rainbow coalition weakened their position but others insisted that CRINGE struck exactly the right note for the multicultural sensibilities of modern Egypt.

The combination of Moses’ wisdom, his knowledge of Egyptian philosophy, his family connections and his brother’s gift of the gab, make for a considerable force in Egyptian politics. Maybe this way Egypt will be straightened out a little and God’s people will not suffer so much.

But no...

Read the rest here

Merchant-Shepherds

Peter Leithart on Zechariah 11:

The best I can make, at this point, of Matthew’s strange conflated quotation of Jeremiah 18-19/Zechariah 11 in Matthew 27:9-10.

Judas took thirty pieces of silver from the Jewish leaders to betray Jesus. Reading this in the light of Zechariah 11, we know that this expresses the contempt of the Jews for Jesus’ labors as the shepherd who seeks to raise up those who are thrown down (9:36). Also in the light of Zechariah 11, there is the ironic hint that Judas functions as the true shepherd of Israel, the shepherd who is shepherding them toward destruction.

Judas throws the money back in the temple, where it comes before the face of God. Innocent blood is “thrown” in the form of money into the presence of God. God will arise and scatter His enemies, and destroy the house defiled with innocent blood.

The Jews know this, and rapidly remove the defilement from the temple by purchasing a field belonging to a potter. This fulfills the thrust of Zechariah 11, which says that the contemptuous wages are thrown into the house of Yahweh “for the potter.” Perhaps “potter” alludes to Yahweh as potter, the “fashioner” of Adam (Genesis 2:7-8) and, more importantly, the potter who formed Israel for Himself (Isaiah 64:8). Potters or “fashioners” are also linked to idolatry in the Old Testament (Isaiah 44, repeatedly).

That allusion to idolatry brings Jeremiah 18-19 into play, which Matthew alludes to by his mention of Jeremiah as the source of the prophecy. According to 2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6 and Jeremiah 7:31-32, the valley of Ben-hinnom, also known as Topheth, was a place where innocent blood was shed, where children passed through the fire to Molech. High places were set up for idolatrous worship. It was a “field of the potter” because there idols “fashioned” by craftsmen were worshiped; it was a field of blood because it was the place where human sacrifices were offered. Matthew connects the field purchased by the Jewish leaders with this field of idolatry and the shedding of innocent blood.

The valley of Ben-hinnom, Topheth, Jeremiah says, will become a place of burial. So many will be slaughtered in the coming invasion from Babylon that there will be no place else to bury the dead. The “sacred” grove of Topheth will be defiled by corpses. Matthew also mentions burial, but in Matthew 27, the burial seems to be more a charitable cause.

In the valley of Ben-hinnom, Jeremiah breaks a clay pot, shatters pottery, as a sign of what Yahweh, the Great Potter of Israel, is going to do with the ruined pot of His people. They have filled the land with the blood of the innocent, and so they are going to be shattered. They have behaved like the kings of the earth, resisting the Lord and His anointed, and they will be smashed like pottery (Psalm 2). Matthew issues the same warning to the first-century Jews. They too are a pot destined for destruction.

Finally, Jeremiah 32 might also play a role. There, Jeremiah purchases a piece of land, which is a pledge of Israel’s return from exile, a pledge of their eventual re-possession of the land. Abraham made a similar purchase, importantly a purchase of a burial plot for Sarah, which served as the first bit of land that he owned. Jesus blood, transformed to money, purchases an Abraham-like burial plot in a land that is not His. But it is a pledge of a later inheritance. Jesus’ blood buys the land, and the world.

_________

Jesus’ condemnation of the temple as a “den of brigands” is drawn from Jeremiah’s temple speech. Because of the idolatries, injustices, and bloodthirstiness of the temple authorities, the temple is going to be destroyed.

But the text might also hold a fainter allusion to Zechariah 11. Matthew conflates Zechariah and Jeremiah in chapter 27, and his explicit quotations from Zechariah (your king is coming; strike the Shepherd; thirty pieces of silver) are interspersed throughout the Passion narrative not only with references to Psalms (22; 69) but also to Lamentations and Jeremiah (on Lamentation allusions, see David Moffitt’s 2006 article in JBL).

In his narrative of the shepherd in chapter 11, Zechariah condemns the shepherds of Israel who enrich themselves by selling off the flock. Jesus’ interruption of the buying and selling in the temple is, as NT Wright says, an interruption of the sacrificial procedures. It is also, in the light of Zechariah 11, a symbolic condemnation of the practice of the priests, who enrich themselves on the people, whose perverse priestly work involves slaughtering not flock-animals but the flock of Israel.

Zechariah says that the priests have no more pity for the people than they do for a sacrificial animal (cf. Marvin Sweeney’s Berit Olam commentary on Zechariah). ”No pity” is the demand of herem warfare; making holy war against substitutionary animals is what priests do. They are not to carry out a war of utter destruction against the people. They are not to treat Israel as Canaanites. In response, Yahweh threatens an eye-for-eye punishment. The shepherds have no pity, Yahweh will have no pity. Herem for herem.

Zechariah 11 fits the temple scene in Matthew very neatly. The priests of Jesus’ day are as corrupt as the priests of Jeremiah’s and Zechariah’s day. They make war on the people without pity, “selling” them into slavery (including the slave yoke of oral traditioned Torah) and enriching themselves as a result (much as Eli and his sons made themselves fat by abusing the flock/flock). Jesus’ enacts Yahweh’s coming herem against Jerusalem and Herod’s temple.

____________________

A gloss on my comments on Matthew 27 earlier today: Judas is indeed an ironic version shepherd of Zechariah 11. He is hired by the merchant-shepherds for thirty pieces of silver (drawing again on Sweeney on Zechariah). Judas delivers up a lamb, the Lamb, to the priests to slaughter. He is the instrument of the oppressive priests in carrying out holy war against the flock, a mercenary shepherd, and not only the instrument but the exemplar: Judas makes explicit what the priests are generally doing, which is slaughtering the flock of Yahweh to enrich themselves.

He is also the shepherd of Zechariah 11 in renouncing his role. He refuses to be shepherd leading the Lamb to slaughter, and throws his wages back into the temple treasury.

___________________

Zechariah ends with “In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of Yahweh of hosts.”

How’d we get Canaanites in the house of the Lord to begin with? Sweeney points out that the LXX of Zechariah 11:7 assumes a different vowel-pointing than the MT, and thus has “the Canaanites of the sheep” rather than the “poor of the sheep.” He notes that “Canaanite” can mean “merchant,” which fits the context of Zechariah 11 with its reference to commerce in human sheep. Zechariah ends by promising that the house of the Lord will be cleansed of sheep-merchants who serve only for their own gain. Like Ezekiel 34, Zechariah promises true shepherds for the people of God, shepherds led by and following the example of the divine Shepherd.

The Contact Point (2)

Added quote from "Know the Truth - Bruce Milne"

"According to Scripture man is already aware of God but has rejected this witness. The Christian's task is to confront the non-Christian with the God of whom he is already aware, not to consider his (sinful)presupposition that God might not exist"

Pastoral Calling

Matthew 9:36 - 10:1 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

Refer:
http://youarethechrist.blogspot.com/2009/08/reap-harvest-of-righteousness.html

The calling is for shepherds - the call of the harvest is a pastoral calling - where are the shepherds?

John 4:35 35 Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.

The calling is not for evangelists - the Samaritan woman has sown the seeds - now He needs harvesters - pastor/teachers - to grow and collect the righteousness

Here's a really silly question...

I may be really blind...

but can I ask .. is there anywhere in the OT that states that a willful (or purposeful) sin is paid for by a sacrifice?

as in... someone sins, committing X, therefore the 'antidote' is sacrifice Y?

as far as I see.. there are regular sacrifices, and sacrifices for unintentional (or by mistake) sins

i'm sure i'm wrong - so someone please correct me...

What is Truth? (2)

The problem with most of us is we see sin as the absence of what is good

wherelse in the garden of Eden,
we see Satan not coming as one who is devoid of good,
but one who was perfect, purposefully corrupting what is good

Sin, like darkness, is not the absence of light,
but the corruption of light - therefore darkness in Scripture is something tangible rather than the absence of something

Matthew 6:23 If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

The Light becomes darkness, because of the willful suppression of the Truth - the squinty eye allows only a polarized view of light to enter - so this then is darkness

Lies are half-truths and false-truths

So when we look at individuals, or teachings, or philosophies
we cannot say 'oh, there is something good in there'
but rather - they are willful corruptions of truth
biblically - they are ANTI-Christ
the worst kind of evil (rather the only kind of evil)
Twisting the truth is far more deadly

therefore sin is not a foreign concept
it stems also from Who Christ is
Sin is simply our purposeful corruption of Him - like Satan did in the wilderness

Corrupt light is no longer useful for anything
it must be treated as blindness,
the cure for corrupt light is not to re-polarise
it is impossible
the cure - is to shine True Light into the darkness
then the 'light within us which is darkness' cannot overcome it

The Holy Spirit is not a Western-Counsellor

Psalm 37:4 4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Cf this post on Glen's blog: http://christthetruth.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/god-is-a-haggler/

Lately I've asked someone to give me some training on Biblical counseling,
he made an interesting observation:

"We in Asia don't act the same way as Western counselors
when people come to us with a problem - they actually want a solution"

Actually I've realised that when I come to spend time with God,
I have "gotten past" the - 'here is my shopping list God' stage
and into the more 'spiritual' stage of 'just-listening'
but i wonder if i was actually listening,
actually now i think i've come to God simply just to feel better

The Spirit is there to counsel, meaning to intercede
to search my heart and take my desires to my Father,
and compare them with His heart, and respond with an answer

He is meant to grant me my desires - if they match His
So does He deal with Christ - and gives Him the desires of His heart - which are also the desires of His Father's heart

therefore my position in prayer is one of pleading, either for myself or for others
Jeremiah 27:18 18 If they are prophets, and if the word of the LORD is with them, then let them intercede with the LORD of hosts,

My other position in prayer therefore is wrestling
- i.e. Gethsemane
From reading His Word i realise that my desires do not match His desires, and I must wrestle with Him until I submit and accept His will
only then is there peace and even future joy

Therefore I do not just come to 'feel good'
but to petition and to wrestle with my flesh
The Spirit will probe and poke me and guide me until I am matching Christ's mind
thus the more I spend with Him - the more He counsels

Perhaps something like that?

The Doctrines of Scripture

Authority, Inspiration, Inerrancy, Infallibility, Preservation... etc..
there are dozens of books on each of those doctrines

What i've come to note is that many of them although in theory talk about the Holy Spirit, still are very mechanical in understanding rather than Personal, Relational and Trinitarian

for example, authority
what makes the Bible authoritative?
it has been 'delegated' (their word) authority by God - therefore it is authoritative
God is authoritative because of who He is - i.e. Powerful, and what He does, i.e. Creator, etc

unlike certain other 'holy books' the Bible is not an eternal thing and has no authority in itself per se

But perhaps a better understanding of authority would be this
The Scripture is God-breathed, i.e. It comes out of the mouth of the Father - it is God-Spirited

What gives the Father authority? is it not the Son? The Son declares to the world that my Father is worth listening to... and I'll prove it

Therefore as Romans 8 says - the conviction of the Spirit is not so much the conviction of the authority or inspiration or inerrancy, etc of Scripture - but the conviction of sonship

We now know He is our Father - therefore we listen to Him - and we learn to listen to Him from His Son, and we listen to Him via His Spirit and all that His Spirit has done - whether in history, creation, or Scripture, or within the lives of other Spirit-filled individuals
(hence Paul's claim is sufficient to be authoritative: 1 Corinthians 7:40 Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God. )

When we are attuned to our Father's voice, we know how to deal with Scripture - we believe in it in the way it's meant to be, and we can read it the way it's meant to be read - all through Christ as shown by Christ

these 'mechanical doctrines' (of course some better versions are written in the above manner) may have some use in technical and academic debate
but are they of any use to faith? if not, then by definition they are use-less
and if you follow these 'robotic' doctrines - it inevitably undermines faith, as was very evident from the discussions people are having

Listen to the words of Christ, and He will point you to the Father through the Spirited-Word of God - then you will be able to see the true inspiration of Scripture, recognise its authority rightly, and interpret it in increasing measure - all of benefit to a true and dynamic faith

because you are now convicted that He has said, You are my Son - today I have begotten you - and then you respond - Abba, Father

The Returning Word

Here's a thought experiment into some Barthian theology of Scripture..
not even sure what I make of it myself

Barth, if I understand, explains that the Scriptures 'become' the Word of God through 'personal encounter' with Jesus, via the Spirit

I wonder then if we can continue - is then the written Word a temporary thing, like the old covenant, designed to pass away?

The Word must go out, and it is not designed to stay out, but to return, and so the written Word is temporary, and must fade - it must enter the hearts and minds of men, and continue it's outgoing, creative work

Then once accomplished, it will return to the Source, the Father, where it performs its incoming, restive work... bringing the lives of those it has made with it

so then the actual book.. unlike certain other religious theologies.. is hardly eternal, but inherently old...

what do you think?
just a flight of fancy..

The Grave Can Have Children

Colossians 1:18 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

Christ is the firstborn 'from the dead' - the barren grave can now have children
- David Field

The dust returns to dust
That which was made from the old darkness, returns to darkness
animated briefly by the echo of the Word of God

Christ then infuses with the dust
making it permanently alive
then He plunges down into the barren grave
and ignites it, bringing Life and Light to all who would remain

Then He pulls out His children, also infused with the Word that remained in them,
clinging on as a branch to the true 'Jack and the Beanstalk Vine'
The Vine that reached down into the depths,
and raised us up into the heavens

Scripture

The only context of Scripture... is Christ

Falling off the horse

Jesus is not 'the middle way' from 2 extremes,

we are walking along a narrow ridge, to fall to the left or the right means to have our foot slip

He is the narrow path and either way is death

when our foot slips, we catch on again to Jesus - or we die

Mixed Martial Christians

"The goal, these pastors say, is to inject some machismo into their ministries — and into the image of Jesus — in the hope of making Christianity more appealing. “Compassion and love — we agree with all that stuff, too,” said Brandon Beals, 37, the lead pastor at Canyon Creek Church outside of Seattle. “But what led me to find Christ was that Jesus was a fighter.”
The outreach is part of a larger and more longstanding effort on the part of some ministers who fear that their churches have become too feminized, promoting kindness and compassion at the expense of strength and responsibility. "

Read more here.

Thoughts?

The Faithful 'Bride'

Numbers 5 starts out with a summary of uncleanness - and its consequence being a casting of those individuals outside the camp

then follows on to the sacrifice of atonement by the ram for confession of sins and a restitution of the sins

then comes to this very weird bit on the unfaithful wife:
- if she hides her adultery, she is judged, and cursed

Numbers 5:12-14 12 "Speak to the people of Israel, If any man's wife goes astray and breaks faith with him, 13 if a man lies with her sexually, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she is undetected though she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her, since she was not taken in the act, 14 and if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife who has defiled herself, or if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife, though she has not defiled herself,

This is possibly the reference that James is taking here:
James 4:4-6 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

The Spirit of God yearns jealously over His Bride
the adultery of the bride angers the groom fiercely
If she does not admit to the groom and come back to him, but holds on to her iniquity
her thigh (indication of faithfulness) will waste away - and she will bear no children

so then with the children of God that our Groom years jealously over

but then in Numbers 6 - comes the 'true Bride'
the one with long hair
who will not drink of another spirit (also cf. 1 Tim 3:8)
- the one utterly dedicated/consecrated to the one He follows and submits to

He then will cause this:
Numbers 6:23-27 23 "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, 24 The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 27 "So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them."

His name will be put upon the unfaithful bride of Israel, and they will be blessed in Him, the Lord will shine the in the face of Jesus, His marvelous grace

So then knowing this salvation, let us no longer grieve the Spirit of jealousy who dwells within us, since the atoning sacrifice has been made, restitution has been given 120% - and we are all pronounced 'clean' and invited into the camp

The Scaffolding of The City Of God

Eden was never God's plan...

It was a taster for us..

God is a city-builder - His goal is the heavenly Jerusalem on Mount Zion

In preparation for His City
He builds the scaffolding (the tent) of the current creation

The scaffolding is necessary - it shadows the design, it gives some semblance of the product
Yet the scaffolding is like a mere seed compared with an oak tree - it pales in comparison

The scaffolding is flimsy and temporary
(much like the OT law & covenant)
The finished city is eternal and powerful
(think CS Lewis on the strength of the blade of grass in the new creation that can pierce through the old body's feet)

This creation is the scaffolding for the new creation
The flesh is built to be the vessel for the Spirit

However in having efficient construction - the scaffolding is consumed in the creation
The Flesh is infused with the Spirit (cf Irenaeus)

Jesus came and was built in the scaffolding of the flesh
then filled the flesh with the substance of the Spirit
(man shall not live by bread alone...)

The Spirit then infuses the flesh
and now needs the final process - the kiln/furnace - the fires of judgement

the testing that completely fuses flesh with Spirit - to create a spiritual body
the dross or the remnant of the scaffolding is then burned away

leaving the new creation
Here then in Christ in His eternal resurrection form
Here is our destiny - now we are still being infused, some are waiting for the permanent fusing
All creation will follow suit

Then is Zion built in glory, and the Father joins in His Creative work finished

The Contact Point

The whole issue of general revelation and natural theology concluded it's application in the manner of evangelism...

(http://youarethechrist.blogspot.com/2010/01/idolatrous-creation.html)

In fact most major outreaches are based on this form of theology

the basis is I start with a common ground of understanding about God or the Divine with non-Christians and from there I sort of guide it to the 'full revelation' of the Living God

Whether or not certain evangelicals believe in natural theology, their evangelism based on general revelation is exactly the same in methodology - just perhaps less obvious

So then, if there is no such thing as 'idolatrous revelation' - which I shall rename it such - and all revelation is Christological (there is the corrupted reception of that revelation in man), is there a contact point?

Well I think there is:

In all Biblical evangelism - the contact point is the pointing out of the absence of the knowledge of the True & Living God:

Acts 14/17 - that Paul points out you don't know Who He is, you can't see Him in His creation

Even if we do some tracing throughout the Bible i think this is also true
people's words and actions reveal that they know something that pagans do not know

From Daniel & Joseph interpreting dreams,
Jeremiah buying a piece of 'useless' land,
The prophets saying 'thus says the Lord'
etc...

This may initially look like some form of 'gnosticism' (i.e. the secret knowledge)
So what is the difference?
The difference is the gnostics used knowledge to raise themselves above others - which basically is the same as any form of intellectualism today (and most other types of self-exaltation)

The knowledge of Christ on the other hand - translates into service, into an entering or incarnating into the World, to shine this Gnosis, this Logos for all things into the World - showing the world that they live in darkness - they are unknown by the Living God neither do they know Him

Thus the labour of Christians is not in evangelistic method,
but in the knowledge of Christ (Eph 1:17), in becoming more of His likeness (holiness), etc

this then will cause us to live in a manner that declares our Gnosis to the world, and that they do not know Him at all - this is the manner of letting our light shine before men and not hiding it under a bushel

Then the Light will illuminate the darkness, and it shall not comprehend - then the choice will be clear, run away and hate the light, or remain in the Light to have fellowship with the Light, that the darkness may be overcome by the Light


http://youarethechrist.blogspot.com/2008/09/simple-theology-of-evangelism.html

So then, what is our evangelism strategy? Labour in the knowledge of Christ, Labour in holiness, Let your light shine before men - that they may realise they are in darkness, and come into the Light to glorify the unknown True and Living God

The contact point is Light Shining in the Darkness

The Grace of Communion

You MUST listen to this talk!

Go Rich Owen!

http://www.cecleeds.co.uk/download.php?file=downloads/sermons/1%20Corinthians/20100117am_Rich%2BOwen_1%2BCorinthians%2B11%253A17-34_C18%2BThe%2Bdivided%2Bchurch.mp3

The Idolatrous Creation?

Been hearing lectures on General Revelation and irked by them

if general revelation (the supposed generic and universal revelation of God in creation, providence and conscience), is supposed to give a non-salvific view of God - then surely creation is idolatrous!

creation proclaims Christ.

http://christthetruth.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/creations-voice-proclaims-what/

Acts 14:15-17 15 "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness."

What does this mean? that men understood this?
No it implies you've been looking at the Word of God in the rain and the Bread of Heaven being witnessed to in creation and you haven't seen anything!
Those Zeus guys and Hermes - they're vain things - there is a Creator God you don't know!

Acts 17:23-24 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,

Again, what about this... ?
It implies that YOU DON'T KNOW this God - HE is UNKNOWN to you. Thus I, Paul, am explaining and REVEALING Him to you....
you are without excuse.... look at that statue...

Creation proclaims Christ.

We cannot see Christ because we are sinful.
The fact that we cannot understand God by looking at creation reveals that we do not know God... it works the same way as how people don't understand Jesus' parables

because the Word of God is the same everywhere..
the Scriptures, Creation, Providence, etc... all point to Christ
and all work in the same way

in Christ, you understand
outside of Christ, you realise you are condemned and you don't know Him.

Surely you cannot know half of God!
the God of Creation is the God of redemption - all solely revealed in Christ
it is very weird if creation and providence reveal only the toenails of Christ... which is basically what this theology is saying

i'm not even going to get into human conscience... surely if anything this one creates the MOST idols!

The Haiti Disaster

Glen posts an explanation for the disasters like Haiti:

http://christthetruth.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/more-than-a-million-dead/

The non-Christian can hope for nothing greater than ’safer’ buildings on the same old fault line. And as they labour admirably for this, many will ask why God does not seem to be cooperating with their desire to pretty up the demolition site. They plan to build some lovely houses on this sand and they imagine God to be standing in the way of their saving purposes. Of course it’s the other way around...

The Lord has a salvation so audacious He can call earthquakes ‘birth-pains’. (As can Paul – Rom 8:22).

I believe in God

"If we believe in God, we musts expect that our old ways of thinking and living will be continually shaken to the foundations. If we believe in God, we will have to become seekers, pilgrims, pioneers with no permanent residence. We will no longer be satisfied with the unexamined beliefs and practices of our everyday personal and social world. If we believe in God we will necessarily question the gods of power, wealth, nationality, and race that clamor for our allegiance. Christian faith is thinking faith.

...

Theology is a strenuous inquiry, a process of seeking, contending, wrestling, like Jacob with the angel until dawn, wanting to be blessed and limping away from the struggle."

- Daniel L. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding

What is Truth?

John 18:37-38 Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world- to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, "I find no guilt in him.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Truth is often seen as something philosophical
but yet even in our society - we have felt the effects of truth and lies
it is indeed something very tangible

Truth is something reliable, it is rock-solid, it is there when everything else fails you - it is something to hold on to

A lie is something that is changing, it is a nothing, it does not exist, and it brings only doubt and fear and depression

Our society has come to a point that there is no truth (not that we have just come to it - as it seems Pontius Pilate was already postmodern!!) - therefore it means that there is nothing that we can rely on... the only truth is that life has no truth
- perhaps the only truth that we can hold on to - is death - therefore it is not truth - since we cannot grasp death

So when Jesus comes to show us that He is the Truth - He points us that there is only one Faithful One, One Rock, One Steadfast Being - the Truth is Christ, the Truth is the unchanging nature of God - that He is love

That Truth will indeed set people free

As we stand on the Rock of this Truth, we are then grounded
we are no longer on sinking or shaky ground

we are then built up to be free to love, to serve, to give

no one standing on shaky ground can give of himself, they must take, they must grasp, they must hold onto every strand of 'reality' that comes along

The one on the Rock is free... to pour himself out - even till death - because the Truth continues even after death is long gone

Come to Christ you who are shaky and weary of stepping on loose foundations - He will set your feet on solid ground - your foot will not slip

Which is easier?

Mark 2:9 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'?

Been having a few of these discussions with people

most people seem to think these 2 things are equally difficult, or maybe the sin-forgiving thing is just a bit harder...

Let me ask it in another way:

If I was a carpenter.... and I decided to build my house, I'd do 2 things:

first, I'd build a house (i.e. a building) with my own hands
then, I'd build a household (i.e. a family), with my own being

If then a storm arose within both house and household,
the house building would be in pieces and the wood and brick scattered all round
and the household would be in pieces from the mistrust, dissension, anger, envy, etc...

If then I were to fix both,
for the house, I'd simply get more material, or use what is existing and rebuild,
it would take some time and have some cost

For the household.... a lifetime, my entire bank account, all my faculties, my blood sweat and tears may not be enough

The price of reconciliation is my entire being..
the cost is infinite

Which then is harder?

One comes with a snap of the Finger of God
The other, with the Blood of God

The Eternal Word

In some versions of the Nicene Creed
"only-begotten" is translated "eternally begotten"

I think this is right - as in Christ is the Eternal Son of God

Meaning He is the Eternal Word of God
always coming out from from the Father

In this sense - He is always being begotten
or rather, every day He is born

for this to happen, it also means - He is always born-again
He is ever new, ever out of the Father, coming back 'into' the Father

"Out of the heart, the mouth speaks"

Jesus comes out of the Father, being the Father's heart
He then returns into the Father to the Father's heart
to be refreshed in and by the Father, always coming forth

so also we too as Christians learn this intimacy
and come into the heart of the Father by being in Christ

The Son was cut-off from the Father so that He can be reformed with us included
bringing us into this cycle of always being born-again

There is no pain in this eternal child-birth
since pain and not childbirth is the consequence of sin
and the true childbirth (as we know from having spiritual children)
is always one of great joy

Thus Christ is always re-created by the Father
He is always His ever-new-ever-fresh Word from His heart

so then the distinction between us and God is not begotten vs created
(i know I'm going pretty heretical here)
but - Luke 3 - Adam begotten of God

The distinction is the presence of the Spirit of God
which we reject and therefore are dead and separate

once we are filled and indwelt by the Spirit of God
we are sent straight into the Father's heart in Christ
equipped, empowered, and sent back out
and so we enter the eternal begottenness cycle...
for countless ages it can only get more glorious =)

The Other Woman

Luke 16:18 18 "Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

Notice that this verse seems to be in the middle of nowhere...
all the whole passage is talking about money .. or rather Mammon (what I possess)

Spiritual adultery therefore is being united to the other woman... her name is Mammon, she is Babylon, Folly, Wickedness - the scarlet woman

The only reason anyone serves other gods is for Mammon's sake
Even the gods and Satan serve her...

Therefore the choice in this age is very simple... God or Mammon, Wisdom or Folly
there is no other woman

The Complete Vindication of Jesus

Why is there the complete destruction of the wicked?
is it because of sins...

yes - but in the sense that it is because of the sins against Christ on the cross

Jesus was vindicated in His resurrection...
but His total vindication is the destruction of His accusers

and so the church shares in His vindication - since we are His body

Daniel 6:6-9 6 Then these presidents and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, "O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked." 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.

Daniel 6:23-24 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions- they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

thus the complete (or eternal) destruction of the wicked - is based on the Cross of Christ... it is and must be for all eternity - so that He is completely proved righteous

check out this amazing sermon from farm fellowship - by Ian Foulds:
http://www.farmfellowship.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/daniel06.mp3

The Two Non-Sons

In the parable of the prodigal Son..

it is a most curious thing... since the 2 preceeding parables are about a lost coin and sheep... but then those remaining with the 'owner' are those 'who have no need of repentance'

I suggest that in the prodigal son - neither son is a son
the prodigal refuses his sonship, rejects his inheritance and goes to become an orphan
the remaining son, denies his sonship, and insists on being treated like a servant - "where are my wages, boss"

Thus in the parallel - the tax collectors and prostitutes are the lost son, and the pharisees and scribes the son-servant

in another parallel - the Gentiles are those pigs lost to their own pleasures, and the Jews the servants (Gal 4) who refuse the adoption as sons

Therefore to be a true son, born by natural birth, but born by adoption - spiritual birth, but must be received into sonship - in either way - one must come into the loving arms of the Father that dearly cares for both...

New Creation Ex Nihilo

Referring to several previous posts...

I am still in the dilemma what it means to be a new creation
both in the individual and in the cosmic sense

i have learned a few things:
1. New - means renewed and constantly so (like eternally begotten)
2. The fires of judgment are like those of a refinery - burning the dross and refining the gold and silver
3. The tree is burned - but the stump remains (see 2 posts down)

So then what was my original idea?
a new creation must be something completely new from nothing
but then I have realised that is as bad as the idea that the first creation came from nothing - ex nihilo

but this is not true - since the first creation came from the cutting off of Christ - the chopping down of the True Tree

So then the new creation must also be the same
it is not ex nihilo - but similarly out of the death of the incarnate body of Christ
- this is bad latin: ex Sacralogos nex

a most peculiar thing that a realm of darkness must be created before a Seed can be planted into it...

we see it everyday in birth - that a dark, watery, womb is nececssary for a baby
and a broken earth - dark, yet with plenty of moisture - for a seed

thus the Cut-Off Christ becomes the very soil/womb for the Renewed Christ - utterly united God-Man

this is a most strange thing - which i do not know how to describe

so then within our decaying bodies, a New Seed is planted (from the Death of the First Seed) - that will swallow up our old selves - to make a new self
death is swallowed up in victory
mortal is swallowed up by immortality

does any of the old remain? no - not one speck of dust
the Spirit grows within the flesh, then swallows up the flesh

I still can't quite get a handle on this....

The non-gospel Christian

The Galatian non-gospel Christian:

http://thebluefish.org/2010/01/when-im-non-gospel-christian-as-if-such.html

The Changing of The Tree

Daniel 4:11-16 11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. 13 "I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: 'Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man's, and let a beast's mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him.

Isaiah 6:9-13 9 And he said, "Go, and say to this people: "' Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' 10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." 11 Then I said, "How long, O Lord?" And he said: "Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, 12 and the LORD removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. 13 And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled." The holy seed is its stump.

So.. is the first tree the first humanity based on Christ, who then from the burned humanity grows a new tree?

the analogies seem to be about the sprig in Ezekiel 17

Is it well with your soul

Here's a simple but effective sermon from my Senior Pastor for the end of the year..

http://zionbpc.org.sg/resources/audio/2009/271209%20Ps%20David%20Wong.wma

Especially if you want to find out how a mango, a tic tac and your soul are related =)
(it was an all age service)

Reeves on Christmas

http://theologynetwork.org/christian-beliefs/jesus-christ/starting-out/smothering-baby-jesus.htm

Church Dynamics

After reading Glen's post here:
http://christthetruth.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/dont-trust-the-supralapsarian-youth-leader/
(of which I've had a similar experience)

and listening to his sermon here:
http://go2.wordpress.com/?id=725X1342&site=christthetruth.wordpress.com&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.christthetruth.org.uk%2FJohn%25201.mp3

Thinking again on how the church should be in the world...

I've come to the current conclusion of the dynamic relationship:

That is... the church or Christian home needs to be a place of pure godliness, without compromise - i.e. full of love, and no selfishness
i.e. a place of Sabbath rest

The world will always be the world - and we are not asked to change the world, but instead, bring people into the church

Thus the dynamics of the people is a constant back and forth from the "Sabbath-rest of the church" i.e. sinless Christian fellowship - to the "toilsome work of the world"
- constant progression back and forth between these 2 - especially on daily basis
is the best way of witness
- it is the dynamics of the Father and the Son
- it is also our own dynamics of our relationship with Him

Therefore - do not compromise the church, and do not make it a place of 'toilsome work'
Therefore also do not try to change the world - but go there as someone part of the church to bring people back with you

we are to 'Catch up' people into the fellowship of the church, which itself is 'caught up' into the fellowship of the Living God

So then what about Romans 7

Romans 7 has always been a problem...
each time i read it i have to rethink the whole thing again

on one hand there is the so-called 'Christian cop-out'
in the sense that chapter 7 describes the 'normal christian life'
i really want to live a great life for God - but I can't - oh well...

then there are the others who say this is Paul recounting his preconversion experience
that's all well and good up till verse 13
but then everything switches to present tense
and if that were the case
Romans 7:25 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
the bold part of the last verse would not be included

Now if I look through this again I think maybe it begins to make a bit of sense

So in Chapter 6 - Paul has said you must no longer serve sin, and if you do, you are a slave to sin - bringing about death

Similarly in Chapter 8 - if you walk according to the flesh = death

So then the Christian life cannot be a constant failing - and this would be inconsistent with anything Jesus has to say - i.e. 'you must be perfect' etc..

Chapter 6 shows us how the gospel deals with the flesh
Chapter 7 into 8 shows us how the gospel deals with the law

The Law can only convict of sin
So Paul once acknowledging the law - died
but then he had a connundrum - inside he was sorrowful and agreed with God, but in the flesh he could not do what God wanted
- this does not necessarily imply him being a Christian
- for example Judas would agree that what he did was wrong, and thus would agree with God of his sin - and even agree what a wretched man he is
- but conviction of sin is not = repentance - but merely worldy sorrow

then comes the goal of the law - it points to Christ
it then says - thanks be to God for Jesus, and Jesus fulfilled what the law demanded of me - but my flesh could not do

so what Chapter 7 is saying is - if i walk according to the flesh, the law will condemn me and show me that it is impossible - present tense
so what is the solution? I need to turn to Christ (present continuous) and walk according to the Spirit - the flesh needs to be constantly not trusted in and handed over to death
So then if I walk according to grace, or the Spirit, He working in and through me will overcome the flesh and allow my dead-flesh to accomplish great things for God - similarly to what Christ did on the cross

So the present life of a Christian is to never trust in the flesh and do things according to the flesh - otherwise the law will point out that I am failing God, and not pleasing Him

So what do I do? I walk according to the Spirit - which then will allow God to use my weak flesh for great purposes - in its weakness

Thus the most important thing is 'setting my mind' on the Spirit - and 'consider' my flesh dead and gone - not merely on despairing about sin - and then I will be born again - Rom 8 - the testimony of the Spirit - not merely sorrowful